The Roles and Values of Wind Energy
Since becoming associated with this journal, I have given some thought to its value and the needs it can meet as re¯ected against the needs of the wind industry. In the broadest terms, the needs revolve around people, technology and capital.
Are we an industry? As measured by the capital committed, the installed base and the multiplicity of players, we are becoming an industry. The momentum gained through the installation of more than 6000 MW of grid-connected wind generating capacity means that we are beginning to arrive. I say beginning because we face the risk of strangling in our own thus-far-limited success. Measured against the existing installed base of conventional generating capacity, the ten-year projections for added capacity and emerging environmental pressures, we have accomplished thus far only a very small fraction of the potential oered by wind technology in its many formsÐgrid-connected, village power or small residential systems. An important issue for all of us is how we will realize the potential of a market denominated in tens of billions of dollars.
People. While European installations have swept ahead of those in the US, we are optimistic about the potential and evolving market represented by the Midwestern±Great Plains states extending from the Dakotas through Oklahoma and Texas. As has been pointed out by the European Wind Energy Association and others, there is signi®cant potential in Europe (both land and oshore) and elsewhere. However, as designs evolve and are adapted to changing environments, there will be a severe shortage of technical and engineering persons knowledgeable about the design and operational requirements of these sophisticated, multidisciplinary electromechanical systems. This need can be addressed by our governmental funding agencies, academic educational and research institutions and by co-operative industry± university training programmes. Through articles contributed by those already working in the wind industry, Wind Energy can attract new persons to our industry and help make accessible the wind-speci®c information they will need to become productive.
Technology. Currently the competition for wind appears to be gas-®red combustion turbines. While we may argue that low fuel prices are a temporary aberration, it is likely that temporary will last a long, long time. Thus we must continue to make progress on the installed capital cost, energy productivity and reliability of our wind generation systems. The needed improvements will be driven by technologyÐboth in wind system design as well as in improved manufacturing processes. Wind Energy can help to illuminate new design approaches, load control systems and manufacturing techniques. The role of the journal is particularly important in this regard. The journal serves as both an international medium for communication among existing workers and an educational resource for the needed future engineers and technicians.
Capital. We design, manufacture, deploy and support capital-intensive equipment. This is a characteristic shared by other power generation systems. Signi®cant amounts of capital are required for several aspects of wind equipment deployment. First, manufacture and assembly require capital for goods-inprocess. The time, eort and capital involved in the development of wind installations can also be signi®cant. While the increased reliability and improved economics of our systems have enhanced our industry's access to capital and, more signi®cantly, reduced its cost, Wind Energy can play a part in providing further evidence of the maturing of our industry.